


Spring Break

by animatedCola



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Does Thunderbird Three count as a character, Einstine-Rosen Bridges, Gen, Having two characters with the same name is the worst kind of thing to write, I got the date the movie takes place in wrong but I don't care, Making A Valiant Attempt to Make Movieverse Alan A Likable Character, Only fitting since the originals are there, Or Wormholes if you prefer, Rewrite of a Three Year Old Fanfiction, Why Is Virgil such a difficult character to write for, bc I have written "Thunderbird Three" enough times for this ship to count as a character goodness, kind of time travel?, no one can walk away from 25Gs I don't care how advanced your gear is
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-05-16 20:05:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19325161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animatedCola/pseuds/animatedCola
Summary: Alan Tracy was thoroughly convinced that this was the worst spring break ever.A 10,000-word essay assigned by a teacher that he knew couldn't care less, due at the end of break? Fine. Brothers making fun of him and brushing him off? Just another Tuesday. Grounded for the entirety of break because he was in Thunderbird One and accidentally started it up? Fine.Little did he know, that was just the start.---Alan Tracy was thoroughly convinced that this was the worst spring break ever.Not just spring break, actually -- any break.While most teenagers are spending their time surfing, going on dates, and just having fun, Alan was out saving lives. Not at all a bad thing -- But when it's family, anything that's fun about it is gone.John was in trouble -- his older brother, the man who taught him all he knew about space. John, who was supposed to be safe, was in space, all alone, and dying.---For both of them, the thought was clear: This week couldn't get any worse.Could it?





	1. And So It Begins Anew...

**Author's Note:**

> Rewrite of "Spring Break", originally posted onto Wattpad and Fanfiction.Net under the alias "recuperatioUnum". If you're interested, the originals are still up currently!
> 
> As I rediscovered Thunderbirds and fell head first into the fandom again (I came back right around the time SOS part 2 came out so that was fun), I found some old fanfictions buried in my google docs. This was one of them. And I remembered basically where I was trying to go with it, but I felt I could have done better in some places -- especially now that I've gone through a college-level writing class which was not fun at all -- and decided to rewrite it.
> 
> So, here we are. Hope you enjoy!

_Tracy Island, 2065 - Alan Tracy:_

 

"There's no way this day could get any worse," Alan grumbled, pushing through the foliage that made up the jungle path that led to the beach, ignoring the voices of his older brothers behind him. First off, his teacher calls him out in front of the entire class and leaves him with a ten thousand word essay, due at the end of break, then his brothers brush him off and constantly make jokes at his expense, and now he's grounded due to the fact that he was in _Thunderbird One_ and not-so-accidentally started it up. Which, okay, Alan could kind of concede that last point, he wasn't supposed to be there and he knew it. But still, grounded for the entirety of spring break? not cool. And now, his dad won't even listen to him when he's trying to tell him something important.

 

So, yeah, couldn't get any worse.

 

He really, _really_ hated being the youngest.

 

Breaking through the foliage, he made his way down to where the sand met the water and reached under his jacket to his belt, where a small machine his friend Fermat had made to skim rocks with sat. Loading it up with a couple of nearby smooth rocks, Alan started firing them across the ocean, letting his mind wander away from what was currently going on in his life. At some point, he wasn't really sure how long it had been now, Tintin had joined him, and they had begun talking as Alan continued to skim rocks, venting some of his frustration to her. Some of that newly vented frustration however returned as he heard a rumbling that usually accompanied one of the three flight based Thunderbirds taking off. Shortly after, the bright red of Thunderbird Three came into view, heading off into space where she belonged.

 

 _'Another mission, great.`_ Not that Alan wasn't glad for what his family did, but he was still angry at his father and brothers, so of course he was going to be a little peeved, especially when they're going somewhere that Alan can't -- and probably will never -- go. Returning his attention to the sea, he loaded up another rock and was getting ready to send it flying off into the distance with its brethren when a rustling in the leaves drew his attention away. Normally he would ignore it, brush it off like the wind and return to what he was doing, but the shouting was really what drew his attention. He and Tintin turned to look, spotting the small bespectacled figure of Fermat Hackenbacker rushing towards them.

 

"Thunderbird Five has been hit! Thunderbird Five has been hit! Thunderbird Fiv --" Alan quickly hushed him, trying to get the smaller boy to calm down enough to explain better. As Fermat paused to take a couple of deep breaths, Alan began to ask him to explain exactly what he meant by that, before rushing seawater caught all of their attention. The trio turned to look, spotting a submarine rising to the surface.

 

_'I take back my earlier complaint. This day could get worse.'_

 

"RUN!"

\---

 _Tracy Island, 2060 - Alan and Virgil Tracy_ :

 

He didn't even realize what he was doing until someone mentioned it, his arms trembling with the force of the death grip he had on the arm of his chair, knuckles going white. Blue eyes were fixed firmly on the hologram in the middle of the room, on the form of the elder space loving Tracy. Normally an unfamiliar sight, the normality was ruined by the fact that John was sideways, sprawled out across the ground of the gravity ring on board Thunderbird Five, an arm wrapped around his stomach, the other stretched out across the ground. An awful red streak was blooming on his face and some beginning to stain the blue of his uniform. He could distantly hear his eldest and second eldest brothers calling out to John, could faintly feel a hand tugging his arm, trying to loosen his grip. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the image in front of him, couldn't focus on anything by the image of the Tracy family's lone redhead on the ground, bleeding, wheezing breaths echoing through his mind.

 

Alan may not know a lot about medicine, but even he knew that was bad.

 

"Alan." A gentle voice finally tore him from his thoughts, a body blocking his view of John. Virgil crouched before him, amber eyes locked onto Alan's own bright blue. "Hey, you with us squirt?" A beat. Alan forced himself to nod, to try and bring himself back to reality. "It's going to be okay, but I need you to focus for me, alright?" Another nod. "Good." Virgil stood and moved to sit down next to Alan, a hand reaching over Alan in order to search for the hidden button that would activate the launch sequence for Thunderbird Three.

 

Alan hadn't even noticed he was sitting in the seat for his 'bird.

 

He felt a jolt, and then the two began to descend, and Alan sat back in the seat, forcing himself to take a deep breath. He needed to focus. He took a moment to shift his mindset into rescue mode, to take a mental inventory of what they knew, how to complete the rescue, and how much time they had to complete the rescue. He couldn't afford to mess anything up this time. This time, it wasn't just someone in danger that he didn't personally know. This time, it was personal. John's life was at stake. As he let the machines do their work, assisting him into his uniform, Alan let his mind wander for a quick second, and paused.

 

Virgil was in the co-pilot's seat when they went down.

 

He could count on one hand the number of times Virgil had gone with him on a rescue in Thunderbird Three. He _hated_ being in zero gravity. That was one of the biggest differences between the twins: John loved being in space, loved the freedom of zero-g. Virgil hated it, preferred being on the ground.

 

But, hey, when your brother’s life is in danger, preferences don't matter he supposed.

 

As he exited the tunnel and rejoined with his co-pilot for the mission, he forced himself back into rescue mode. The minute the seats locked into place in Thunderbird Three, Alan's fingers were dancing across the console, performing pre-flight checks as fast as he could. They needed to go, now. Needed to be gone a long time ago, but Alan had cost them precious time already, and he needed to make up for that.

 

He just hoped that they could make it in time.

 

Starting the ignition sequence, he removed his hands from the controls long enough to pull at his harness, a quick tug to ensure it was locked, and a quick glance to his left to check that Virgil had done the same. Briefly, baby blue met amber, both of them trying to reassure the other.

 

John was tough, he could make it through this… right?

 

Turning his attention back to Thunderbird Three, he opened up a comms. link to Tracy Island cleared his throat and began the countdown.

 

"Firing Main Engines in 3… 2… 1." The rocket shook as the engines ignited, and Alan pulled back on the controls, propelling Thunderbird Three out of its silo and into the air.

  
"Thunderbird Three is go!" He announced, biting his lip. _'Hang on John, we're coming. Just hold on 'til we get there big bro.'_


	2. Out Of The Frying Pan, Into The Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rescue is carried out, and a rescue hopeless.
> 
> On both sides of the worlds, people lie in wait, hoping for their loved ones to be safe.

_Thunderbird Five, 2060 - Alan and Virgil Tracy:_

 

On approach to Thunderbird Five, it seemed like nothing was wrong. The station, manned 24/7 by John Tracy and onboard AI EOS, was still maintaining it's constant vigil over the planet below, it's orbit around the world held, and no damage to her at all despite what had gone on only hours previous. The only indication was the length of cord still wrapped around the gravity ring, leftover from what Scott had called "the slickest maneuver he had ever seen". But Alan and Virgil knew differently. Inside that station, their brother was laying in critical condition. EOS' child-like voice was the only noise either of them could hear, panicking and unsure of what to do about John's sudden deterioration. Quickly as he could, the youngest of the family ran through docking procedures, trying to get to John as fast and as safely as he could. The second Thunderbird Three was docked with Thunderbird Five, he was out of his seat and propelling himself down to the airlock, snatching his helmet on the way down, Virgil directly behind him. As soon as the helmets were locked on and secured, the airlocks cycled open, first the outer, then the inner. EOS herded him towards her fallen programmer the second he was in. Alan launched himself into the station, quickly adjusting to moving from zero gravity to Earth's gravity and moving quicker than Virgil could due to being more familiar with the layout of the Thunderbird. His job was the first responder in this situation, he was to get to John first and see what was needed to be done.

 

It was even worse seeing him up close.

 

A small pool of blood had gathered around his older brother's face and mixing in with ginger strands, dripping from his nose and a tiny bit leaking from the corner of his lips from when he had begun to cough some of it up. An arm was outstretched, covered in the same crimson liquid, especially his hand. His face was ashen, paler than normal, a near chalk-white instead of a pale tone, born from his lack of sun and his natural predisposition against any form of natural light. As soon as the teenager had caught sight of his older brother he had frozen, locked into place by the sight.

 

Seeing it in person was so much worse than through a hologram.

 

EOS shouted at him, trying to get him to snap out of it and help her programmer and he shook his head, trying to refocus himself. Pushing off of the wall, Alan made his way to the prone body of his older brother and let his training take over, trying to catalog the injuries so that Virgil could deal with them as soon as possible. Time was of the essence. The older Tracy barreled in moments later, Thunderbird Five’s emergency kit and John’s helmet bundled in his arms. Alan gave his report before backing up, waiting for instructions. Alan had basic first aid training, but Virgil was the family medic. Time passed in silence as the elder worked, occasionally broken by a murmured instruction for Alan. Finally, John’s helmet was locked in place and connected to the oxygen tank nestled in the back of his sash, and Alan stepped back again, letting Virgil pick up the lighter twin, careful not to undo all of the bandages he had just put on. The youngest led the way back, a quiet conversation with EOS filling the time. She told him that she would fully take over running Thunderbird Five until told otherwise.

 

They made their way into Alan’s Thunderbird quietly, Virgil settling John into one of the passenger seats and securing him as Alan began pre-flight checks. He waited until the brunet had settled into the co-pilot’s seat before beginning into the ignition sequence, making sure that John was properly secured and braced for the atmospheric burn as best they could. Feeling Thunderbird Three rumble to life under his hands, he released the docking clamp and pulled away from Thunderbird Five, ignoring the pit in his stomach. EOS would be fine, John would be fine, they would all be fine. Shaking his head, he removed a hand from the controls just long enough to open a channel to Tracy Island. Sliding his hand back into the control, he informed Scott that they had recovered John and were heading back to Earth.

 

“Tell Brains to call the GDF and get us clearance for the nearest military hospital to the island.” He glanced over at Virgil’s voice, watching as brown eyes met Scott’s through the hologram. “I’m not going to lie. It’s not pretty, and it’s more than we can handle on the island.”

 

“F.A.B.” Scott’s image winked out, and the oldest of the now three Tracy brothers in the cockpit leaned back in his seat, shoulders slumping in exhaustion. Alan couldn’t blame him. It was rough for him, but for Virgil? What just occurred must have felt like his own personal hell. He opened his mouth, intending on… he wasn’t sure what, breaking the silence? Comforting his older brother? Just, doing _something_. But before he had the chance, Thunderbird Three suddenly began to rock, the outside of the rocket swallowed by darkness, the ship's systems following suit. Alan had about three seconds before control of his own ‘bird was ripped away from under his hands. He was getting really close to Earth before everything went out, and for a fleeting second, he worried. Worried about John in the back, braced for re-entry as best they could, but it probably wouldn’t be enough, especially if Alan couldn’t get controls back. Worried about Virgil, strapped in next to him, eyes wide and knuckles white under his gloves. Worried about Scott, who would try to contact his brothers and wouldn’t be able to get ahold of them due to the power failure. Worried about Gordon, out on rescue of his own and now flying blind without John. Worried about Grandma, worried about Kayo, worried about Brains and MAX. Just… worried.

 

Then he felt himself get slammed back into his seat roughly, then he felt no more.

 

_Tracy Island, 2065 - Alan Tracy:_

 

He had forgotten how tight a fit the vents were.

 

In order to get back to the house so they could get to safety, Alan had suggested that they used the vents running throughout Tracy Island. People that he didn't know, and that he certainly didn't trust were crawling all over the island, and as much as he hated to admit it -- Alan was scared. His dad and brothers -- probably the only hope they had at this point -- were out in space on Thunderbird Five, docked to a crippled ship and assisting an injured John, who'd been attacked by who Alan assumed where the very same people that were now on the island.

 

_John had been a distraction_ , he realized dimly.

 

John had been a distraction, something to drag his family away from the island so that these people could take over. They put his older brother at risk, his entire _family_ at risk, just so they could... they could what? get at the island? Brains? the _Thunderbirds_?

 

With his brothers all gone, it just left him, Tintin, Kyrano and his wife, Brains, and Fermat as the defense of the island.

 

If he was going to be honest, it was a lot. It was too much. Even with help. He thought back to just earlier that day, to how badly he wanted to be a Thunderbird. But this is what his brothers dealt with all of the time. Now getting a first-hand glimpse of it, he wasn't sure he _wanted_ to be a Thunderbird anymore. Wasn't sure if he could handle it, wasn't sure if he could handle _this_.

 

A hand gently tapped his ankle, and he awkwardly shifted around to see Fermat behind him, a concerned look on his face. Inhaling, Alan forced a smile, before turning back around and continuing to crawl. Time to take a page out of Big Brother Scott's book: Act Now, Think Later. After a few moments, they reached the right vent that would allow them to see into the control room without them being seen -- and Alan took a moment to thank Gordon for taking him around the vent system so many times for pranks over the last few years -- and he and Fermat pulled off the grate so that the three of them could peek in to see what was happening.

 

The Hood. What an anti-climatic name.

 

The trio watched from behind one of Alan's older brother's portraits -- Scott maybe? who knows, it seemed like they were in the right spot for that -- as the man explained his plan. Blue eyes continuously flicked between the bald man, and the screen in front of him that showed his family, clustered together around a camera. If he wasn't so scared, he would have rolled his eyes at how cliche The Hood's plan was.

 

Use the remaining airworthy Thunderbirds -- One and Two, and Four for good measure -- to rob the greatest banks in the world, and let International Rescue take the fall, ruining their name.

 

An eye for an eye, he said. Ruin International Rescue, and leave them waiting for a rescue that would never come.

 

Just like they had done to him.

 

He pulled forth Kyrano, explaining to the gathered Tracy's that while they may not remember him, they surely remember the rescue in which they saved his brother -- his father's loyal manservant, Kyrano. Tintin's eyes widened, the implications of that statement hitting her hard.

 

"That makes him... my uncle." She whispered, horror in her tone. Fermat's hand went to grasp hers, trying to offer comfort.

 

"Every family has a black she-- black she--" The rest of his sentence gave way to a sneeze, and Alan and Tintin froze, Fermat's hands flying to his mouth. He whispered that the dust was beginning to mess with his allergies, and Alan quickly decided that if they didn't want to get found out, they needed to leave some time in the now. By then, The Hood had finished his explanation and had cut off communications with his family, so there was no reason for them to be there any longer anyway. Fermat sneezed again, and Alan and Tintin's hands shot to cover his mouth and nose to try and muffle the sound.

 

Unfortunately, even with Brains pretending to be the one who sneezed, the group gathered in the control room had started to become suspicious, and the big guy started to head in their direction. Alan tensed up, ready to push Tintin and Fermat further into the vents and run again when a loud beeping caught all of their attention. The Hood mumbled, before proclaiming that the computer must be malfunctioning, and "that can't be right". Brains was hauled over to the computer and shoved into the chair, The Hood standing behind him as Brains attempted to take a look.

 

"It's not b-broken..." Brains started, briefly glancing away from the screen to look at The Hood, before looking back at the screen. "It's in w-working order. T-that's T hunderbird Three's s-signal. She's coming back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Tumbles in a week late*
> 
> So much for updating every Saturday. I have eight chapters already written, so I was hoping to have a weekly updating schedule, but that didn't work out, sorry!
> 
> Let me know if any of the characters seem off at all, I'm trying my best, but anyone outside of TAG Alan just doesn't want to be written.


End file.
